


Road to Lyria: Jaskier x Reader

by fish_cloud



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Dandelion, F/M, Fluff, Romance, The Witcher - Freeform, geralt - Freeform, i'm really having fun with this, jaskier - Freeform, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:33:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24005923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fish_cloud/pseuds/fish_cloud
Summary: Geralt and Jaskier pick up a girl on their journey that is trying to figure out where she came from. On the way she grows and learns about herself but she also develops feelings for a certain bard. Both not knowing how the other one feels, a good amount of pining and misunderstandings ensue.
Relationships: Jaskier | Dandelion/Reader, Jaskier | Dandelion/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	1. Jeden

**Author's Note:**

> Some places in the story really exist in the Witcher Universe and some don't, just know I took my creative liberty with both. If you're interested, I'll share the maps I used for reference with you in case you want to get an overview of the world.  
> This is the simple map: https://i.redd.it/vk0vvfsivw621.png  
> This is the detailed map: https://atlasoficeandfireblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/the-witcher-map-1.png
> 
> I'm always happy about feedback so hmu and now have fun :))

Nazair had been (y/n)'s home since she could remember. The rocky coast covered in green, olive trees, lemon trees, bright pink flowers and lush gardens where the royals spent the hot days of summer, finding relief in stone bathtubs filled with cold water.  
The green trail followed the river Yelena into the mountains. The rest was vast shrublands. Here and there some evergreen cork oaks and pine trees.

Lerletta was a small town by the sea near Yelena's estuary. The streets were buzzing. Merchants from near and far tried to sell their goods. Women in long dresses made from light and colorful fabrics were selling spices. Some children ran around causing some adults to scold them.

(y/n) rested her arms on the iron railing of the balcony she stood on. She had been in this spot for almost twenty minutes observing the busy streets. The balcony was framed by the most colorful flowers. It was a peaceful day. (y/n) took a deep breath. The air carried the smell of sea salt. She took another look at the streets below her when a man caught her attention. Outsiders weren't unusual in Lerletta but even so most of them were dressed appropriately for the warm and dry climate.  
This man was dressed all in black in what seemed to be leather. (y/n) shook her had. Before she could try to make out where he was going, a voice called out to her.

“(y/n) where are you? I need you in the kitchen now.”  
“Yes Varella, I'm coming.”  
(y/n) hurried downstairs. She didn't want to anger Varella.  
Varella was a good woman. She'd taken (y/n) in when she was a little child, and she'd raised her as if she were her own. Varella was in charge of all the servants of the Lirr family. They'd made their fortune with trading pearls. This was where (y/n) worked and lived.

With nightfall, it got cooler.  
(y/n) was carrying a huge silver plate filled with cheese, olives, grapes and other local delicacies. She guessed that the Lirrs had guests. She entered the dining hall and almost dropped the plate. That man she saw from the balcony was sitting at their table.  
“(y/n) this is Geralt of Rivia, he's here to help with our...problem. You will fulfill his every wish as long as he's staying with us.” Casso Lirr, head of the household spoke in a grave voice.  
(y/n) nodded and made her way to Geralt. After she put the plate down, she turned to him. “Is there anything you need, Sir?”  
“I heard you have the best wine down here. And lose the Sir.”  
(y/n) nodded again.  
When she returned with a carafe filled with dark red wine she noticed a young man with brown hair and blue eyes sitting next to Geralt.

When Casso had told her that Geralt was here to take care of their “problem” she'd recognized him; Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf, a legend. From what she'd heard the man sitting by Geralt's side who was making lively conversation with Phina Lirr, Casso's wife, had to be Jaskier the bard.

That night (y/n) was determined to speak to them to get more information about what was going on at the coast of Lerletta. She made her way to the guest rooms. She was just about to turn a corner when she heard two men talking in hushed voices. She couldn't make out what they were talking about but (y/n) was sure they were Geralt and Jaskier. Not making her presence known she followed them through the dark hallways of the Lirr residence, into the streets until they arrived at a popular bar, a cellar close to the harbor.

When she entered the Singing Shells, she had lost them. The cellar was packed with people. The merchants who had closed their stand were now drinking, laughing and arguing. When she arrived at the bar, a strong hand grabbed her shoulder. (y/n) had to stop herself from letting out a scream. Geralt and Jaskier were standing behind her.

“Why were you following us?” Geralt asked without letting go of her shoulder. “Did Casso Lirr put you up to this? You can tell him I am going to do my job properly.”  
(y/n) shook her head. “No, he doesn't know I'm here, I wanted to talk to you.”  
Geralt sighed and let go of (y/n). He took a seat and made a gesture for (y/n) to follow suit. Jaskier took a place by (y/n)'s free side.

Geralt ordered a carafe of wine and turned to (y/n). “What did you want to talk about?”  
(y/n) took a sip of the wine. It wasn't by far as good as the wine she had been serving them at dinner. “I want to know what you think is killing all those men at sea.”  
Geralt scanned her for a moment before answering. “It's a Kelpie. It can take the form of a woman. It drags its victims into the water, devours them and discards the remains at shore. But why do you care?”  
“I care because people are dying.” She scoffed.  
“That's not all. This is personal for you. Tell me why.”

(y/n) looked at her cup. “You know that the Lirrs made their money with pearl trading. They have divers that find the oysters for them. My brother was one of them, and he was killed.” She made a small pause. “Look, I have no family here, I'm not from Lerletta, I'm not even from Nazair. I just want to know what happened to him.”

Jaskier intervened. “How is he your brother when you have no family here?”  
(y/n) turned around to look at Jaskier. “He's not my brother by blood, but we were raised like siblings. Varella took me in. Vira was her son and I know it's important for her too to know what happened to him.”

Geralt furrowed his brows. “But that's not all either, is it?”  
(y/n) shot him a look. “No, it's not. Damn, you really are as good as they say, Witcher.”  
Jaskier was curious. He leaned on the bar to get a better look at (y/n) while she took a deep breath. “When you're done with this job I want you to take me with you.”  
Jaskier let out a laugh and Geralt raised his brows. “No way. I'm not taking a little girl with me. I wouldn't even take him if he wouldn't follow me around like a lost puppy.” He pointed his thumb at Jaskier who made an overly offended face. “Excuse me, I do not follow –“  
“It wasn't a question. I'm coming. Also, I'm not a little girl, got that?”

(y/n) couldn't make out what Geralt was thinking. He took another sip and then asked. “Why do you want to come with us? Lerletta is a beautiful place and the Lirrs seem to treat you well. Why leave?”  
“Because I don't want to be a servant for the rest of my life and I need to know where I truly come from. I need to know why my parents abandoned me. I need to know who I am. There's nothing you can do. I'll just follow you like this one does.” She pointed her finger at Jaskier who made an even more offended face than before.  
Gerald let a small smirk slip. “You'll get yourself killed and a big mouth isn't going to save you. Doesn't work for him either.”  
Jaskier raised his brows. “I am right here you know?!”  
(y/n) ignored him and returned the small smirk to Geralt. “Then I guess you'll just have to save me.”

“Fine, if you find us when we're leaving you can come but I'm not coming to get you and I'm most certainly not explaining to Lirr why I'm taking his maid.”  
(y/n) nodded satisfied and took a big sip of her wine.

Some time had passed. Jaskier was telling (y/n) about all the beasts Geralt had killed and about the adventures he'd lived with the man. (y/n) had been reluctant to talk to him at first. She knew of his reputation with women. But he didn't try to flirt with her at all, he was just happy to have someone to tell his tales to.  
After an hour or so they realized Geralt was gone. Jaskier shot up from his stool. “He went off alone to kill the Kelpie. I'm going to miss the best part!”  
Before he could storm of, (y/n) grabbed him by his sleeve. “Jaskier, wait! I really have to leave with you! This is really important to me.”  
For a moment the haste vanished from his eyes. “I understand. I will meet you at the entrance of the Singing Shells in one hour, alright?”  
She nodded. “Thank you, and don't get yourself killed.” With that she let go of him.

(y/n) hurried through the dark streets of Lerletta.  
She managed not to wake anyone as she gathered her things. It wasn't much. Before she left the Lirr house for good she left a piece of paper on her pillow addressed to Varella. (y/n) knew it would break her heart, but she also knew that Varella would understand.

(y/n) stood in front of the Singing Shells. Jaskier was nowhere to be seen. She already wondered if the bard had lied and if they'd left without her. She couldn't go back home now. Just as she was about to despair she saw Jaskier approaching her.  
“Jaskier, what happened? Why are you so...wet?”  
Jaskier grinned. “Isn't that a question the man should ask the woman?”  
(y/n) furrowed her brows. “Shut up. Is Geralt ok?”  
Jaskier's grin disappeared. “Yeah he's fine. I'm ok too in case you wondered.”  
“You must be fine if you're able to tell this kind of inappropriate jokes to someone you barely met.”  
Jaskier shrugged. “Whatever. I could just leave you here you know?”  
(y/n) gave him her sweetest smile. “You wouldn't.”  
Jaskier sighed. “Yeah you're right, I wouldn't. Follow me now we have to meet up with Geralt, I guess he already collected his reward.”


	2. Dwa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The groups journey takes them north. (y/n) gets hurt by a creature Geralt is hunting down and Jaskier is worried about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Simple map: https://i.redd.it/vk0vvfsivw621.png  
> Detailed map: https://atlasoficeandfireblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/the-witcher-map-1.png

(y/n) had been traveling with Jaskier and Geralt for a few days now. They were passing the mountains following the river Yelena. It was getting darker outside when Geralt finally stopped his horse Roach. “That's enough for today. Set up camp. (y/n) you can go and gather wood for the fire.”  
(y/n) nodded eagerly. She was grateful for being able to travel with them, and she wanted to make herself useful. She knew she couldn't fight when it came to it but there were other things she was good at.  
Jaskier followed her. “Wait, I'll help you!”  
“I think she can handle herself.” Geralt said while unloading his baggage from Roaches back. Jaskier shot him a look. “It's dangerous in the woods, I don't want her to go alone.”  
“I don't care.” Geralt turned to Roach to tend to him.

(y/n) giggled when Jaskier caught up to her. “You want to protect me?”  
“Well yeah no, I mean I'm sure you can defend yourself I just want to make sure...”  
“That I don't get attacked by a mountain goat maybe?” She laughed.  
“I can help you carry the wood.”  
She shrugged. “Fair enough.”

When they got back to camp, (y/n) set up a small fire. They fried the small fish they'd caught in a nearby river earlier. While they were eating, (y/n) turned to Jaskier. “Why are you following Geralt anyway? I mean you can't be that helpful in battle right?”  
“He's not.” Geralt confirmed.  
Jaskier ignored the last comment and put on a smile. “I follow him so that I can write songs about his heroic deeds.”  
“And how's that working out for you?” (y/n) asked curiously.  
“Good I guess. I almost got myself killed a few times but Geralt would never let me die, he likes me too much.”  
“No I don't.” Geralt didn't even look at them while he continued to eat his fish.  
Jaskier laughed nervously. “Yeah he does, but he won't admit it.”

After a short silence it was Jaskier's turn to as (y/n). “So you want to find out who you are or where you come from, do you even know where to start? I mean the continent is big I'm not sure you'll randomly stumble upon you're real family.”  
(y/n) looked into the fire. “Varella and Vira are my real family. Varella raised me and Vira was my brother. I can't say the same about the people whose blood I share.”  
Jaskier raised an eyebrow. “So why try to find them then?”  
(y/n) started to feel annoyed by his questions. “I'm not trying to find them. I'm trying to find out why they left me, what happened to me, where I'm from. I don't give a fuck about those people I just want to know the truth about me.”  
Jaskier nodded. He sensed that she didn't want to explain herself to him.

“But to answer your first question, I do have a lead.” (y/n) showed him the necklace around her neck. It was a silver pendant showing a hand holding a ring.  
“Varella told me I had this when she found me. I don't remember anything from my childhood. The only mother I remember is Varella.”  
Jaskier inspected the necklace. “I think I've seen something like this before...”  
“I certainly have.” Geralt had gotten up and taken a look at the pendant as well. “It's old. It's the symbol of an alliance formed by some very powerful families. But that was a long time ago, some families don't even exist anymore, their bloodline has ended centuries ago. Most of the families were from Aerdin.”

“How do you know this?” (y/n) looked at him with big eyes.  
“Have you forgotten my name? Geralt of Rivia, also I'm a bit older than you might think. We're heading into that direction anyway. By tomorrow we hopefully get to Strept after we passed the mountains. From there we can get to the river pretty quickly. We'll follow it to Lyria. I'm sure you're going to find your answers there.”

“He's never that chatty when I try to talk to him.” Jaskier grabbed another fish from the fire.  
(y/n) looked at Geralt. “Thank you. I don't know how I can repay you when this is all done.”  
“Go home to Varella and get old, that is enough for me.”  
(y/n) smiled sadly. “I don't think I'll ever return to Lerletta.”

The next day they arrived at Strept. They stocked up their supplies and without losing any more time they continued their journey to the Yaruga river. Their next stop was Kagen. A small town near the Yaruga.  
It was already nighttime when they finally found an inn with one free room. Although (y/n) was exhausted from the journey, she couldn't go to sleep right away. She'd never seen anything outside Lerletta. The more they moved north the more the plants and animals and most importantly the people changed. In Nazair most people who could afford it lived a very hedonistic life, even for working people it was about the small pleasures in life. The sea had something romantic about it and people felt that. Only now that she compared Kagen to Lerletta (y/n) realized how unreal life had been in Nazair. Life had been about art, about nature and beauty. They drank red wine and danced to the sounds of harps.

Kagen was dark, rough, loud and cold. People had adapted to that. Light garments had been replaced by thick materials made of fur and linen. Sand had been replaced by mud and the smell of sea salt replaced by that of the woods.

“Jaskier, will you come down with me, have a drink?” (y/n) asked as the bard was already lying down on one of the beds. “(y/n) I'm so tired.”  
“Please Jaskier, I beg you, this is all so exciting and new to me, I have to see more. You can't let me go alone, what if someone wants me harm?”  
Jaskier groaned. “Why don't you take Geralt instead?”  
“Because I can't have a conversation longer than five minutes with him. Please Jaskier, I'll make it up to you.”  
He let out a defeated sigh. “Ok I'll come.”

The inn was crowded. (y/n) was about to order two ales when a voice called out. “Hey, isn't that Jaskier? That bard that sings of Geralt of Rivia?”  
Jaskier's face lit up. “Yes I am my good man!” He jumped up and ran to his room to get his lute. When he got back a small crowd had formed waiting for him. He positioned himself on a chair and started to sing.

“When a humble bard  
Graced a ride along  
With Geralt of Rivia  
Along came this song...”

This was the first time (y/n) had actually heard Jaskier sing. He had a beautiful voice. She'd heard a bard or two in her time working for Casso Lirr. He had had great appreciation for good music. But Jaskier was something else. It wasn't just music, it was his whole performance, he drew the crowd in. It didn't take long until almost the whole inn was singing along.

“...Toss a coin to your Witcher  
Oh, valley of plenty  
Oh, valley of plenty, oh  
Toss a coin to your Witcher  
Oh, valley of plenty...”

After his show was over, Jaskier pushed through the crown to get to (y/n). He was holding a small pouch in his hand, undoubtedly filled with money. “Was that not the best performance you ever had the honor to witness?”  
(y/n) laughed a bit. “Yeah it was.”  
Jaskier pouted as he thought she'd been sarcastic. “No need to mock me, those people seemed to enjoy it.”  
“I'm pretty sure those people would enjoy the screams of a feral cat if there wasn't anything else. But I wasn't making fun of you, I really did like it.”  
Jaskier smiled at her, visibly proud with his accomplishment. (y/n) returned the smile, and she wondered when she had started to feel so warm whenever he looked at her.

(y/n) thoughts about Jaskier were interrupted by Geralt who seemingly appeared out of nowhere.  
“I have a job in this town. I just talked to the mayor.”  
Glad she didn't have to wonder about Jaskier any more (y/n) spoke up. “What is it?”  
“It's a Leshy. Apparently it's been in these woods for a while now. They don't hunt in that forest even if that meant the whole town had to starve. Lucky for them they have the Yaruga as a secondary food source. But people keep dying. Lechys are very old very powerful forest spirits.”

“This is good, we still need to make some coin if we want to reach Lyria.” Jaskier said about to order a drink.  
(y/n) looked at him incredulously. “Jaskier do you not know what a Leshy is? How can you say that so casually?”  
Geralt nodded. “She's right. Leshys are to be taken seriously. They are very dangerous.” He turned around to leave the bar. Jaskier hurried after him. “Wait, you're going after it right now?”  
“Yes, they are more active at night, it will be easier to find.”  
Jaskier didn't answer but instead followed the Witcher. (y/n) stood frozen for a moment. She didn't want to stay behind alone at the inn, but she also didn't necessarily want to go into the woods reigned by an ancient spirit.

(y/n) followed Jaskier and Geralt through the forest. The trees were drowning in darkness. Every sound made (y/n) jump. She had finally caught up to Jaskier. “I'm scared.” She whispered.  
“Why did you come? It's dangerous.” He whispered back.  
“I don't know, I didn't really think this through but now I definitely regret it.”  
“You can't go back now, you'll be vulnerable on your own, you're safer with us.”  
“I hope so.” She walked next to Jaskiers, careful not to make a sound. Suddenly she felt his hand in hers. She tried to make out his face in the dark, but she couldn't. The tight grip of his warm hand comforted her.

They heard a sound in the branches above their heads and before (y/n) could even blink Geralt had drawn his sword. “Get back you two, it's here!”  
It stood before them in all its might. The Leshy was a tall and lanky creature. Its head was that of a dead-eyed deer skull, it's body covered in moss and twigs. It bent it's head slightly to the left, it's empty eyes boring into them. With a fast move it rammed its long fingers into the ground.  
“Jaskier, (y/n) get away, now!”  
They turned around and made a run for it. (y/n) was torn from Jaskier's hand. He swung around to see her ankles being caught in some roots. They started spreading onto her legs and waist. Jaskier looked at the Leshy. It was still bent down with its fingers sticking in the ground.

Geralt took the opportunity to swing his sword at the Leshy. It had almost no effect. He managed to reach into his pockets and threw a small bomb at the creature. It erupted in flames. The Leshy screeched.  
Jaskier used his knife to cut (y/n) free from the roots as the Leshy stood in flames. “Why is it screaming like that? Is it hurting?” (y/n) asked trying to get up on her feet.  
Geralt's face was pure determination to kill the creature. “No, it's calling for back up. Jaskier, get (y/n) and run, now!”  
She had never seen real emotion on the Witcher's face but now it was full of hatred as his eyes were fixated on the forest creature.

Jaskier snapped her back to reality. “(y/n) can you walk?”  
“What...yes I can walk.”  
The flames of the burning Leshy cast an orange light onto Jaskier's face and for a short, very out-of-place moment she thought how beautiful he was. But then the urgency of the situation came back to her. They sprinted into the direction they'd come from.

With every bit they got further away from Geralt and the Leshy the forest became darker and darker. (y/n) felt branches hit her face. Her muscles screamed and her lungs felt as if they were on fire. The only thing she heard was their feet hitting the ground, hers and Jaskier's fast breathing.  
And then it stopped. A sharp pain went through her left leg. She'd tripped over a thick root. She couldn't hold back a cry. Jaskier looked back and saw her on the ground. He grabbed her arm and put it around his neck.  
“Come on (y/n) you can do it, we're almost out of the woods.”

(y/n) could feel something warm on her leg. She felt dizzy. “Jaskier I...think my leg...”  
Before she could finish her sentence, she lost consciousness.  
Jaskier cursed himself for not making sure she'd stayed at the inn. He heaved her into his arms.  
After what seemed an eternity, he'd managed to carry (y/n)'s limp body out of the woods. It didn't take too long to reach the inn after that. It was only in the light of candles that he saw her injury. She hadn't just tripped over a root, her leg had been cut by a sharp rock. She had lost a lot of blood.

Jaskier couldn't take another step. He thought he was about to die from exhaustion. He stood at the entrance of the inn. Jaskier couldn't let (y/n) die. Not like this, not before she's found what she was looking for.  
“Is there a medic here?” The few people that were still drinking at the inn had been staring at them. Finally, an older man with a gray beard and almost no hair stood up and hurried to help Jaskier.  
“Do you have a room here?”   
Jaskier nodded.  
“Good, help me carry her to her bed we'll tend to the wound. Don't worry she'll be fine.”

It was almost sunrise when (y/n) lay on Jaskiers bed, her leg wrapped in white bandages. She was still unconscious. Jaskier had wanted to pay the man for helping, but he had just made a dismissive gesture with his hand before mumbling something about “his duty” and “shame to just let the girl die” and left.  
Jaskier was alone with her. He sat by her side. He had never been this tired in his life, but he couldn't go to sleep not knowing if (y/n) would be alright. The rays of the morning sun kissed her face. It was the first time Jaskier actually looked at her. She was so beautiful. Not the kind that made everyone look at her when she entered a room but the kind you slowly fall in love with without even noticing and some day you realize that there isn't a thing in the world to compare.

Jaskier sighed he really was tired. He wasn't thinking straight and coming up with nauseating metaphors for (y/n)'s face wasn't really helping the situation. He decided he hadn't been with a woman for too long and now he was looking in places he shouldn't.

His thoughts were interrupted when (y/n) slowly opened her eyes. “How did I...”  
Jaskier jumped up. “Thank the Gods you're awake, I thought I might lose you!” Relieved he let himself fall on the bed by her side. She turned her head to look at him. “Did you save me?”  
A proud smile formed on his face. “You could say that.”  
“Thank you.” When her voice cracked he looked at her and saw the tears roll down her face. Instinctively he put an arm around her. “Shh...it's alright, you're safe now, I'm here.”  
Tears turned into sobs, and she buried her face in his shoulder as good as she could without moving her injured leg. “I don't want to be that scared ever again.”

Jaskier could only imagine how this had to affect her. She'd never known anything else than Lerletta and now she was confronted with a dark and violent part of the world most normal people didn't even come in contact with. He stroked her hair. “It's going to be alright, I'm here.” He repeated the last words in a low voice until she'd drifted into a deep sleep. It didn't take long until Jaskier too had fallen asleep too.

(y/n) woke up to small noises in the room. She looked around. Jaskier was sleeping peacefully next to her. On a chair in the corner of the room sat Geralt tending to his injuries. (y/n) smiled. “Glad to see you made it out alive. Did you kill the Leshy?”  
Geralt nodded. “We need to keep going.”  
(y/n) looked down at her leg. She tried to move it. A sharp pain went through her leg and she hissed.  
Geralt hat finished up with is wounds and stood up. “You can't walk like that.” (y/n) took in a breath. “You're not going to leave me behind, are you?”  
“No, I said I'd help you and Witchers do have a moral code. You can ride on Roach with me.” She could see that it was a somewhat difficult decision for him to let someone else on Roaches back.  
She sat up on the bed. “Geralt, I know I'm already asking for so much but I have another thing. Could you teach me how to fight? I don't need to be killing monsters I just want to know how to defend myself.” Geralt nodded. "I think it would make things easier if you could look after yourself. We'll start when your leg's healed.”


	3. Trzy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group attends a ball. Jaskier asks (y/n) to accompany him but not quit for the reason she thinks. (y/n) finds a lead on her family in an unexpected place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Simple map: https://i.redd.it/vk0vvfsivw621.png  
> Detailed map: https://atlasoficeandfireblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/the-witcher-map-1.png

“Stay focused!” Geralt swung his sword at (y/n). She dodged it and in the blink of an eye retaliated. Geralt was faster and before she could react his sword was at her throat. She was panting, drenched in sweat and her cloths were dirty. Geralt lowered his sword. “That's enough for today. You're getting better.”  
(y/n) let out an exhausted laugh. “Thanks.” She stored her sword by her belongings and announced she would go to the river to take a bath.

(y/n) was alone by the water. She got out of her cloths. Before she entered the water she washed them and spread them out on a few rocks by the riverbank. It was a hot day and they would try fast. She took a satisfied breath when her sore feet entered the icy water. Her muscles ached. But she was proud of progress she made. At the beginning she couldn't even make one move against Geralt and now she could hold up against him for a good 30 minutes.

(y/n) lowered her body into the cold stream. The soft current tugged at her hair. This was exactly what she needed. The whole week had been hot and there had been no clean water. After an hour or so when her fingertips were wrinkly she finally got out of the water. Just as she was about to collect her cloths she heard footsteps. She immediately recognized Jaskier's voice. “Hey (y/n) I just wanted to ask you –“ He was interrupted by (y/n) throwing a small rock at him.  
“Ouch, I just –“ “Turn around! I don't have any cloths on!”  
He snickered. “Well in that case...”  
“Jaskier turn around or I swear on the Gods I will cut your head off.”  
(y/n) dressed herself in a hurry. When she was done, she walked by Jaskier giving him a smack on the back of his head. “Is that how your mother taught you to behave around girls?”  
Jaskier just laughed. “No I don't think my mother would be too proud if she knew the things I do with girls.” He winked at her. (y/n) scoffed. “You're unbelievable.”

Once they arrived back at their camp, (y/n) sat down by the fire. Her cloths hadn't dried completely. “So Jaskier what did you want from me when you spied on me while I was taking a bath?”  
Geralt looked at Jaskier with his brows raised. He shook his head at him and continued to sharpen his sword. Jaskier looked at (y/n), then Geralt and then again (y/n). “I — I wasn't... Whatever. I wanted to tell you that we have to make a small detour. We're passing through Fort Tuzla. They're having a banquet and I can play there. We need the money and also I miss civilization.”  
(y/n) nodded. She was thankful for the opportunity to sleep in a real bed. “Alright, but what did you want to ask me?”  
Jaskier didn't seem so sure now that he was face to face with her. He didn't let that stop him though. “Would you like to be my companion for that night?”  
(y/n) was a bit taken aback. She'd never gone on a date before. She hadn't gone out while living in Lerletta. (y/n) had been pretty busy with her job, and she had never really found anyone suitable for her. But she liked Jaskier. “Yeah I'd love that.” She responded, but she couldn't look Jaskier in the eye.  
“Brilliant, there's one more thing, could you pretend we're married?”  
Now she looked at him. “You're joking, right? Why would I do that?” Jaskier shrugged. “Women are usually much more interested in men that are taken.”  
(y/n) cheeks were heating up. She felt embarrassed for actually thinking Jaskier had asked her out. “I won't do it. I'm not helping you to get laid.” Jaskier threw his hands in the air. “Why not? Two seconds ago you said you wanted to go with me? Why does it matter?”  
(y/n) took a deep breath. She wasn't going to embarrass herself even more. “You're right. It doesn't matter. And if you're really that pathetic to trick women so you can sleep with them, fine. I'll help you. But just so you know, you disgust me.” She put on a sweet smile, grabbed her sword and went into the woods. “I'm going to find us some food.”

Jaskier sat down next to Geralt. “What's her problem, am I right?”  
Geralt shook his head. Jaskier lifted his hands in defense. “What did I do, I just asked for a favor.” ”Are you blind or are you dumb? She likes you.” Geralt said without changing his stoic expression. Jaskier let out a weak laugh. “No she doesn't.”  
“You're digging your own grave with her.”  
“You don't know what you're talking about. I thought Witchers don't have emotions, how could you possibly understand them?”  
“I don't have to, I just have to open my eyes and use my brain.”  
“Whatever.”  
Jaskier grabbed his lute and started to hum a melody. This conversation was over and he shoved it in the back of his head.

Two days later at noon they arrived in Fort Tuzla. The castle was surrounded by swamps and it had gotten colder in the past few days. They were greeted by the count and taken to their chambers.(y/n) was given some warmer cloths and a dress for the banquet. She couldn't help but stare at her own reflection when she tried on the dress. She had never worn something so beautiful. (y/n) hadn't been wearing rags either. The Lirrs where good to her, but this dress was something else. A maid had come and made her hair.

“You should've really been born into royalty, this suits you.”  
(y/n) made a small jump. She hadn't noticed Jaskier entering the room. She scoffed. “You don't mean that.”  
“Yes I do, I'm not as horrible as you think of me.”  
(y/n) continued to look at herself in the mirror. “Why are they treating us so good anyway? I mean no offense but you are just a bard, right?”  
“Ouch, thanks. But you're right, it's not because of me but because of Geralt, he promised to kill some swamp spiders.”  
“Alright.” She turned around. “I'm ready, let's go.”  
(y/n) took Jaskiers arm, and they made their way to the ball room.

The count held a speech. Jaskier started performing his songs. He didn't return to (y/n) when he was done. Instead, he directed his attention towards some women that had gathered around him, asking him about his adventures with Geralt. (y/n) watched from afar. She would never admit to Jaskier that she would've like for him to stay with her.

“Aren't you going to dance?”  
(y/n) was startled. She looked up to the young man talking to her. She had to admit he was handsome. (y/n) had been to caught up in her thoughts to register what he'd said to her.  
“Excuse me, what were you saying?”  
“If you wanted to dance?” He extended his hand. (y/n)'s eyes involuntarily looked for Jaskier. She shook her head slightly. “I don't know if I should, I'm here with my husband.”  
The young man had followed (y/n)'s gaze. He watched Jaskier surrounded by his admirers. He looked back at (y/n). “I sure hope you don't take this personally but I don't think your husband cares too much.”  
For a second she felt humiliated. Jaskier didn't even know in what a position he'd put her. She had to play the naïve wife that didn't know her husband was cheating on her when he did it so publicly. She stood up with her chin held high. “You're right. I don't think he cares.” She gave him a small smile. “I'd love to dance.”  
The man took (y/n)'s hand and led her to the dance floor. A soft and slow melody filled the air. As she spun around (y/n) caught Jaskiers eye for a moment but it was gone as fast as it came.

When their dance was over the man who had introduced himself as Honi lead (y/n) to the table where his family sat. (y/n) was eternally grateful he didn't leave her on her own. Honi's mother turned out to be a very kind but chatty lady. Tonight (y/n) didn't mind, it was a very welcome distraction from Jaskier.  
“So you said you're from Lerletta, right?” Honi's mother poured herself another cup of ale. (y/n) nodded.  
“You know, I'm from Assengard, so we spent our summers in Lerletta when the capital became too suffocating. But I haven't been to the Great Sea in a long time. Tell me, is Lerletta still as beautiful as it was.” She leaned on her elbows to get closer to (y/n). She listened to the girl talk about shining hummingbirds, the citrus trees and smells of salt and flowers. The older woman's eyes sparkled with painful nostalgia.  
All of a sudden Honi's father leaned forward and touched (y/n)'s shoulder to get her attention. “Excuse me for interrupting you but I have to ask, where did you get that necklace?” (y/n) hand shot to the pendant. “It's been in my family, I never knew my parents though. Why do you ask?”

Honi's father stroke his beard and squinted his eyes at the small silver hand with the ring. “It's the symbol of an organization based in Lyria. I wasn't really part of it. Most members were hunted down years ago. I guess there were enough people with money who'd felt threatened by them. Be careful where you show that necklace, you could catch the attention of the wrong people.”  
(y/n) nodded. “Thank you, Sir. What else do you know about this organization?”  
“They called themselves Order of The Owl. Their purpose was to collect knowledge. No one knows what kind of knowledge exactly. They were hidden in the shadows. But they were never violent and most people didn't know of their existence anyway. If you got that necklace from your parents, they were probably involved. Maybe they're still hiding somewhere. I can give you the name of someone in Lyria. He's very old and if someone knows about the Order, it's probably him, you should go talk to him.”  
(y/n) had stared at him with big eyes, careful not to forget anything he'd said. “I can't thank you enough.”  
The man smiled at her. “Maybe you come visit us one day and tell us what you learned. Oh, and...” He shot Jaskier a stern look. “Don't let him ruin your night. I know when you're young and married you hold on to that but sometimes life doesn't go that way and you have to move on.”  
(y/n) had a defeated look on her face. “I know, thank you again.”  
Honi held out his hand. “One last dance?” She smiled at him. “I'd love that.”

(y/n) had taken her shoes off. The corridor was empty. She could still hear the banquet going from afar. But she was tired, and she couldn't wait to lie in a real bed with real pillows. Footsteps behind her made her turn around and almost let out a shriek.  
“Jaskier you almost scared me to death! What do you want?”  
“I just wanted to walk you to your room, wouldn't want anything to happen to you.”  
She gave him a look. “I can defend myself better than you can defend me. Maybe I should walk you to your room.”  
He let out an unsure laugh. “Ha, you're so funny. So uh, who was that guy, am I right?” His thumb pointed over his shoulder toward the hall.  
“If you mean Honi, he is a gentlemen and nothing less. At least he didn't leave me alone to make a fool of myself.”  
Jaskier furrowed his brows. “I thought you were on board with the plan.”  
(y/n) scoffed and came to a halt. “Well I changed my mind, alright? I don't feel good to be left alone. But you had your priorities sorted out so it doesn't matter.” Jaskier stopped to. “This is not fair, you said it was alright with you!” “Well it wasn't!” “Why?” She opened her mouth to retaliate. But then she closed it, took a deep breath and settled for a “None of your business.” and left Jaskier standing in the hall.

He watched her disappear into the dark end of the hallway.


	4. Cztery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been pretty busy with uni stuff but as a treat for your patience this chapter will be a bit of fluff :))
> 
> Simple map: https://i.redd.it/vk0vvfsivw621.png  
> Detailed map: https://atlasoficeandfireblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/the-witcher-map-1.png

“Wait!” Jaskier shouted after (y/n) but she continued to walk towards her room. When he realized she wouldn't stop he hurried after her. Jaskier finally caught up to her when she'd reached her door.  
“I'm sorry, alright?”  
(y/n) turned around to shoot him an angry look. “You don't even understand what my problem is. Tell me, what are you sorry for?” He was silent for a moment before he began to speak. “I'm sorry I made you play the wife who gets cheated on and I'm sorry I left you alone.”  
(y/n) crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I wasn't alone, I had company.” “I'm still sorry, I should have stayed with you, after all I asked you to come with me.” “Yeah speaking of the plan, why are you here? Weren't you going to fuck some rich married lady?”  
Jaskier searched her face for even a trace of its usual softness, but he found nothing. He let out a sight. “I don't know how else to tell you I'm sorry, I really am and I'm here because I kind of realized that none of the women I talked to are like you.”

(y/n) scoffed and opened her door. “You are unbelievable, you know that? I know you're just trying to charm me, so I will forgive you. How dare you lie to me like that! I can't believe I actually started to like you but it seems your reputation of a shameless whore does you justice.” Jaskier put his hand on the door to stop (y/n) from getting into her room. “Wait a damn second, first of all, I'm not lying to you, not a woman in this whole castle compares to you and secondly, how can you call me that?”  
(y/n) was fuming. “A whore? Maybe because you are one except you don't even take money for what you do! You'll tell a woman anything she wants to hear to get her into your bed, why should I trust you, why shouldn't I believe you just want the same thing from me? I know you'll screw anything with a heartbeat!”  
Jaskier took (y/n)'s arm to force her to look him in the eyes. “(y/n) look at me, I would never do that to you. With most of the women I just want to have some fun, no strings attached but you're not them. You're my friend and I would never lie to you or do anything to hurt you.”  
(y/n)'s heart was racing, she was so close to him she could smell the alcohol on his breath but also the sweet unidentifiable smell that always clung to him. Was it lavender? She had a hard time concentrating when she looked him in the eyes.  
“(y/n) did you listen to me?” Jaskier waved his hand in front of her face. She blinked a few times before she remembered the situation they were in. She focused on her feet, anything not to look into him in the eyes again. “Friend don't leave each other behind.”  
It broke his heart a little. He hadn't realized how much he had hurt her. Without thinking much about it, he took her hand. (y/n) felt her face heat up, she was still staring at her shoes. Jaskier gave her hand a small squeeze. “I'm sorry I caused you pain, I promise, from now on I'll be a better friend. And I won't leave you alone again, alright?”

(y/n) nodded ever so slightly. “I didn't quit catch that.” Jaskier placed his fingers under her chin to raise her head, so she was forced to look at him again. “Alright.” She whispered. (y/n) was eternally grateful they were having this conversation in the dark or Jaskier would have seen what a mess she was when he was standing so close to her and when he was touching her that way.

(y/n) took a step inside her room. “I-I have to go to sleep now.” Jaskier made a step toward her. “Are you going to be ok? I can stay with you if you want.” (y/n) shook her head. “I'm fine, you don't have to.” “Alright, get some rest.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Good night.”  
Her hand instinctively touched the spot where he'd kissed her. “Thanks, you too.”  
Jaskier left her room and quietly closed the door behind him.

(y/n) stood there in the darkness, knees weak and heart racing. She hadn't even noticed how she'd grown so fond of Jaskier that he could have this effect on her. She sat down on the side of her bed. Although she had waited so long for this moment to fall into a bed and sleep, she knew she wouldn't be able to close an eye now.

It was already dawning when (y/n) finally found some sleep.  
She was wrapped up in her warm blankets, soft pillow under her head when the creaking of her door woke her up again. Her sleepy eyes found Jaskier who tried to enter her room as quietly as possible. “What are you doing here?” She mumbled. He stopped in his tracks. “Oh fuck, I didn't want to wake you.” She shot him an alarmed look. “Then what were you trying to do?” He let out a shaky laugh. “No, I didn't mean it like that, don't worry.” (y/n) raised an eyebrow. “Well, what do you want?”  
Jaskier sighed. “I couldn't sleep, can I stay with you for a while?” “I mean, you're already here anyway so...sure. Just don't wake me up again, I'm exhausted.” Jaskier took off his doublet and slipped into (y/n)'s bed. Her body was radiating warmth. It was a welcome change to the cold temperatures outside.  
As he put his arm around her to get comfortable, she'd already fallen asleep again snuggled up against his side.

Jaskier watched her peaceful face. He softly traced the back of her nose and her lips with his index finger. She was so beautiful, he wondered why he had only really seen this yesterday. Maybe it had been triggered by the jealousy that overcame him when he had seen her with the other man but that didn't matter now. This wasn't about the other man, this was about her and how Jaskier couldn't believe he had ignored her last night in favor of some mediocre women. He just hoped he hadn't lost her for good. Geralt was right, he was digging his own grave if he didn't start to behave better around her. Easier said than done. She had made it clear she didn't trust his intentions. And once they got to Lyria, and she found her answers, she would leave them for good.

Jaskier watched her slightly parted lips. He needed to know how they felt, how she tasted. He couldn't let her leave him.

It was noon when they were woken by a moody Geralt. “We need to leave.”  
(y/n) rubbed her eyes. “Why? What happened?” Geralt started to gather the things that were scattered across the room. “Turns out the count is only friendly as long as he wants me to kill something for him. The job is done, and we're no longer welcome here.”  
Jaskier sat up. “What is this? They all ask for your help but half of them won't even look you in the eye after that! They're all cowards!”  
Geralt shrugged. “You know what people think of Witchers. They're afraid of me.”  
(y/n) hurried to get dressed. “Jaskier and I aren't afraid of you if that helps.” Geralt gave her a smirk. “That's sweet of you but it doesn't help much. The count won't pay me like he promised. He said him letting you two stay overnight was payment enough.”  
Jaskier put on his doublet and went to the door. “This is outrageous, where were we supposed to stay while you killed those swamp spiders? Also, you should get your money, we need it and you deserve it!”  
Geralt followed him through the door. “Let it go Jaskier, it's not worth it, we'll just leave.”  
Jaskier turned around to wait for (y/n) to come too. “Are you at least going to keep the dress they gave you?” She shrugged. “I don't know why should I? I would have to carry it.” “I'll carry it for you until we reach Lyria.” (y/n) let out a small laugh. “Why though?”  
“I want to make last night up to you and the dress looks really pretty on you, besides if you're going to stay in Lyria you'll need a dress for special occasions.”

“I really don't want to interrupt your...thing, but we have to leave now.” Geralt was already at the end of the hallway. Jaskier grabbed (y/n)'s hand as he followed Geralt.

As soon as they'd left Fort Tuzla, the gates had closed and the guard shot them a dirty look. (y/n) had caught it and turned to Geralt who had already mounted Roach. “I didn't realize people were so hostile towards Witchers. I mean I knew they weren't the biggest fans but this is a bit harsh, isn't it?”  
“I'm used to it.” Before Geralt could say anything else, Jaskier chimed in. “This is nothing, usually we get threatened in every inn and tavern we step foot in. There are some people, few but still, who appreciate his help but most are just like these people. You wouldn't believe some of the things –”  
“That's enough, Jaskier.” Geralt interrupted him. “She got the idea.”

(y/n) and Jaskier fell back a bit while Geralt led the way away from the castle.  
(y/n) fumbled with the edge of her sleeve. “Jaskier, I'm sorry about what I said to you last night. I was tired and upset. I still stand behind what I said but I could have said it without insulting you.” He shook his head. “No, you're right and you had every right to be upset with me.” (y/n) raised her head to look at him. “Really?” He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Yes, really. I just want you to trust me again.”  
(y/n) gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Maybe I will some day.” She picked up her pace to catch up with Geralt.  
“I hope so.” Jaskier whispered to himself.


	5. Pięć

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the simple map: https://i.redd.it/vk0vvfsivw621.png  
> This is the detailed map: https://atlasoficeandfireblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/the-witcher-map-1.png

(y/n) Geralt and Jaskier had been on the road again for a few hours. “So how long until we reach Lyria?” (y/n) was starting to grow impatient. Honi's father had given her the name of someone she hoped would help her find out the truth about her past, and she feared that the man might not be in Lyria or even alive anymore.  
“Just a few more days.” Geralt answered. “We have to pass through the Black Forest and from there it's not far anymore. We cross the Yaruga at Red Port, and then we're as good as there.”

Jaskier, who had been humming a tune the whole time fell silent. Just a few more days, and he would probably never see (y/n) again. “I have a suggestion. Why don't we bypass the Black Forest and go through the cities on it's left? We could make some money on the way, we really need it.” (y/n) sighed in exasperation. “We can get some money when we're in Lyria, I don't want to wait anymore!”  
Geralt stopped. “No, he's right. We should bypass the forest. You can gather some more information on the way, we can get some money.” (y/n) raised her hands in the air. “I don't need more information, I have a man to talk to in Lyria, we're wasting precious time here!”  
Geralt let out a sight. “Those few days won't make a difference, believe me. Besides, I don't really want to take the two of you into that forest. I know at least one of you can defend themselves better now but still, we shouldn't risk it — not until your leg has fully healed.”  
(y/n) furrowed her brows. “My leg is perfectly fine thank you!”  
“It's not. Training is one thing but fighting against an actual enemy isn't as easy. You were pretty badly hurt, your body needs time to get strong enough for real combat. It's decided, we put up camp at the edge of the woods and at dawn we ride to Dravograd.”

(y/n) threw her baggage on the ground as soon as they reached the woods. She shot Jaskier an angry look. “This is all your fault. I could have been in Lyria in a few days.”  
Jaskier raised his hands in defense. “Geralt made this decision, not me, and you heard what he said, you're not fully recovered yet so why risk it?”  
“You don't know anything about my leg!”  
“I think I do, I was the one who carried you out of that forest and saved your life.”  
(y/n) had already opened her mouth to retaliate when Jaskier spoke up. “Is it really that bad to spend a few more days with us?”  
(y/n) looked at the ground. She'd been so caught up in getting to Lyria she hadn't really thought about it that way. And then she remembered what Jaskier had said to her earlier.

“What did you mean when you said I'd be staying in Lyria?”  
Jaskier shrugged. “I don't know, you'll probably stay there if you find your parents, right?”  
She sat down on a tree stump. “To be honest I haven't thought about what I'll do once I have my answers. I don't know where I will go after this.” She looked at him, and she could clearly see the anxious look on his face now. “Is this what you're afraid of? That I'll stay in Lyria and you'll have to leave without me?”  
Jaskier sat on the ground in front of her. “I don't know, maybe.”  
She took his hand. “You don't have to leave, you could stay with me.”  
He looked up at her and from the look in his eyes she already knew his answer. “You know I can't do that.” He gave her a sad smile. (y/n) nodded. “I understand.” She had trouble holding back a tear. Jaskier reached out to her face to wipe it away with his thumb. “Don't cry sweetness. Let us enjoy these last days and after that we'll see where destiny takes us, alright?”

(y/n) couldn't really enjoy herself that night. The bonfire was keeping the cold and the darkness away, she held a bottle of ale in her hand and her eyes rested on Jaskier who was composing a new ballad. Her heart ached at the thought of leaving them soon. But she knew well enough that this was the only way. Jaskier and Geralt belonged together, and she had only been a temporary companion on her own journey. She cursed herself for not being more careful about whom she opened her heart for. She'd let Jaskier in so fast and now she was paying the price. (y/n) wondered if Jaskier was thinking the same, but she doubted it. Jaskier would be used to meeting someone new every few weeks. He was the kind of person to let anyone in, he got attached fast but it always seemed to fade just as quickly.  
She felt a small sting. She wasn't special to him. Maybe at the time she was important to him but not in the grand scheme of things.

(y/n) took a sip from the bottle. Was she asking for too much? Maybe Jaskier wasn't the type to settle for anyone. A small and hopeful voice in the back of her head spoke up. Jaskier had stayed by Geralt's side all this time. He was capable of settling for someone. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't ever seen someone so loyal to someone as Jaskier was to Geralt.  
She took another sip. She had reached the conclusion that the problem wasn't Jaskier. It had to be her. She felt tears well up in her eyes again.

(y/n) stood up. “Excuse me I'll be back in a moment.” She took a few steps into the woods until she was sure Jaskier and Geralt were not in hearing distance anymore. A few sobs escaped her. How could this have happened? She had fallen so hard for the bard and now she felt like her heart was being torn out of her chest every time she looked at him and the thought of having to leave him crept in.

(y/n) felt a hand on her shoulder. In the fraction of a second she had her knife against the man's neck.  
“Don't kill me please!”  
“Jaskier you need to stop scaring me like this!” (y/n) put her knife away. Jaskier could see the wet trails her tears had left on her cheeks. He covered his hand with the hem of his sleeve to dry them. “I thought I told you not to cry.”  
(y/n) was like hypnotized by his eyes. “You have no idea what you do to me.” She whispered. He came closer and (y/n) could feel her breath hitch in her throat. He framed her face with the hand he had dried her tears with. “Jaskier I...”  
He was so close to her their noses almost touched. “(y/n) I need you, so badly it's almost killing me.”  
“Jaskier, you're going to break my heart...”  
Before she could say another word, he had dipped down to capture her lips. Every fiber in her body wanted this, wanted him, but she couldn't let herself go down that road. She hadn't realized she'd been kissing him back. This burning sensation almost consumed her. She broke away. “Jaskier don't, don't do this to me now.”

Jaskier had never felt this way before about anyone. He wanted her, to hold her in his arms, to feel her lips on his, she was so close to him yet out of reach.  
He let go of her and watched her take a step back. Jaskier didn't know what to do. “(y/n) I'm sorry...”  
“No, it's fine, I — we can't do that again.”  
“I won't if you don't want to.”  
“You have to know, I want this more than anything, but we both know this won't end well.”  
He nodded. “I understand. But I hope you know that you mean something to me.”  
Tears began to form in her eyes again. “I want to believe that but I don't think I can.”

Jaskier took her hand again. “We don't have to talk about this anymore right now. Let's go back to the camp we shouldn't be out here.”  
“Alright.” (y/n) wiped her tears away.  
Jaskier led her out of the woods. “Let's just enjoy these last days and after that you can make the decision that is right for you.”  
(y/n) tightened the grip on his hand. “Thank you.”  
“I will do anything for you, sweetness.”

When they sat back at the fire, the only sound to fill the air was the crackling of the wood. They all stared into the flames. (y/n) watched Jaskier from across the fire. A thousand thoughts went through her head. She saw him looking over at her from time to time, but every time she caught his eye he averted his gaze. (y/n) wanted things to be different so badly.

(y/n) went to bed soon after that. Her dreams were haunted by images of Jaskier, the soothing sound of his voice and the soft feeling of his lips against hers.  
She didn't know she'd been crying in her sleep when she woke up the next morning.


	6. Sześć

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The simple map: https://i.redd.it/vk0vvfsivw621.png  
> The detailed map: https://atlasoficeandfireblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/the-witcher-map-1.png

(y/n) woke up with a crushing headache. She tried to remember what had happened the night before. Her mind was foggy. She tried to gather what was left of the past few days.  
Geralt Jaskier and her had been traveling through the small cities along the boarder of the Caed Dhu Forrest. They had been at a bar the night before.  
(y/n) didn't feel like this was a hangover. Her whole body felt...weird, out of place somehow.  
The wrinkly face of an old woman popped up in her mind. (y/n) had argued with her, but she couldn't remember over what.  
As she sat up, she felt that something was very wrong.  
This wasn't her body. She looked at her hands. They were bigger than her own. Hesitantly she brought those hands up to her face. This didn't feel like her own. Her fingers grazed over the very short stubble on the chin and cheeks. Her hands went up to her hair. It was a different cut than hers.  
When she finally gathered the courage to look down, she recognized Jaskier's cloths.

“What...” (y/n) almost chocked. This wasn't her voice either — it was Jaskier's. Panic started to rise in her chest. And then she had the strangest experience of her entire life. She looked at herself get up from the ground a few feet away from her and walk towards herself. And then the other (y/n) spoke. “I think the old hag from last night switched our bodies.”

It took (y/n) a moment to get over seeing herself speak to...well herself. “Geralt, is that you?” She watched herself nod. “If you're in my body and I'm in Jaskier's body that means...”  
“What happened?” He looked like Geralt but it was abundantly clear that it wasn't Geralt inhabiting the body. Although he looked like him, Jaskier still moved like himself. It was almost grotesque to look at.

(y/n) let out a sight and rested her head in her hand. “How the hell did this happen?”  
Geralt shrugged and sat on the ground across from (y/n). “You got into a fight with that old women, I'll take a wild guess and say she was a sorceress or something. This is her punishment. We have to find her and deal with this immediately!”  
(y/n) let out a chuckle. “I have never seen you so nervous Geralt, don't you like it in my body?” “That sounded wrong.” Jaskier interjected but Geralt interrupted him. “(y/n) I don't want to offend you but your body is weak, your eyesight is terrible and I don't know how survived this long being practically deaf.”  
(y/n) opened her mouth to defend herself but Jaskier spoke before she got the chance. “Speaking of which, I can hear and see everything! There is a deer in the woods chewing on something half a mile away from us! And what is this smell? This is too much, I don't know how you don't lose your mind, Geralt. It explains a lot about you though.”

Geralt frowned. (y/n) tried not to make a face, was this how she looked like when she frowned? This whole thing needed to be over. “We have to find the old women and fix this, I can't protect you in (y/n)'s body. I'm not used to a fragile body, I might damage it or worse kill it.”  
(y/n) scoffed. “I'm not an 'it', thank you very much! And I'd also like my body back! This is just weird, what if I need to pee or something?”  
“Don't you dare!” Jaskier made a step in her direction. He was much more threatening with Geralt's appearance.  
“Also Geralt, if you touch my body in a funny way, I'll kill you myself!”  
“I won't.”  
“And Jaskier, if you use your weird powers on me I'm going to kill you too!”  
Jaskier just nodded.  
“We need to find that witch.” (y/n) started packing her things... Jaskier's things.

“Does this mean I can ride Roach?” Jaskier asked. He didn't get an answer but instead Geralt pushed past him and climbed onto the mare. It was almost comical how Geralt struggled in (y/n)'s small body and Jaskier didn't know what to do with all the extra muscle.

All three of them felt weird as they entered the inn they'd visited the night before.  
“Hey pretty girl, you interested in some fun?” A shabby looking man grabbed Geralt's arm and jerked him around. Geralt looked at him for a few seconds before closing in and whispering in his ear. “How dare you speak to me like this? I will end you with my bare hands.”  
The man just laughed. “This is not how a lady should talk.”

(y/n) felt weird to say the least. She was used to being treated like that in a place like this but it was so strange to watch from an outsiders' perspective how things went down. She felt sick to her stomach seeing how the guy touched her arm.  
Jaskier must have had the same feeling because he took a step forward to position himself between the man and Geralt. He knew it was Geralt, and he knew Geralt could handle himself but all he saw was (y/n). “Get your hands off of her or I'll shred you to pieces.” Although he hadn't nailed Geralts special look yet, he was still intimidating enough. The man took a step back and raised his hands with an apologetic smile. “Sure, whatever.”

Jaskier turned around. “Are you ok? Are you hurt?” He wanted to raise his hand to see if the man had left any marks but Geralt caught it midair. “Jaskier it's me, Geralt, remember? I'm fine.” For a second Jaskier just stared at the woman in front of him until his mind had caught up. “Right, sorry.” He turned to (y/n). “Are you ok?” (y/n) raised her shoulders. “Honestly I don't know this is all so...” “Weird, I know. Now let's go find that witch o we can get our bodies back. This seriously starts to confuse me.”

The bartender had given them the information they needed to find the woman. He had laughed at them for getting on the witches bad side, but he had pointed them in the right direction. The walk through Caed Dhu was longer than expected and the sun had come out. At noon, they took a short break.  
“I'm going to the stream we passed earlier to clean myself up a bit, I'll be right back.” (y/n) laid down her baggage and walked a few minutes back to the water. She'd been sweating and it somehow felt right to take care of this body while she was borrowing it. She took of her shirt to wash her face, arm and torso. (y/n) couldn't help but notice that Jaskier was way more well-built that his cloths led one to believe. It made sense, after all he was walking with Geralt everywhere and his baggage was anything but light. That lute alone weighed more than one might think.

(y/n) hurried to put her clothes back on, it felt somehow intrusive to look at Jaskier like that when he wasn't there. When she arrived back at their camp, Jaskier immediately turned around to look at her. “What is that smell?” (y/n) only managed to give him a confused look.  
“What does it smell like?” Geralt asked.  
Jaskier furrowed his brows as if he was trying very hard to pick out individual smells. “I'm not sure...it's like a mix of lavender, ginger and sandalwood I think?”

“Oh that's arousal or rather attraction.” Geralt shot (y/n) a casual glance before going back to sharpening his sword. (y/n) could feel her cheeks heat up. Jaskier looked at her his mouth slightly open. “What...what were you doing back there?” (y/n) wanted to die on the spot. “Nothing, alright? I just washed myself a bit that is all!”  
“You mean you washed me!”  
“No! I mean...yes, this is weird...” She buried her face in her hands. “I'm sorry I don't want to make you uncomfortable, I swear I didn't do anything inappropriate.”  
When she looked up again, she saw a small smirk on Jaskier's face. It was very unusual to see something like a smirk on Geralt's face. “What are you smiling about? I said I'm sorry!”  
Jaskier shook his head. “It's alright love, let's just hope next time you piss off a witch, and she switches our bodies, I get yours.”   
“Now that was inappropriate.” Geralt was done with his sword. “We should keep going.”

They reached the witches house at dawn. The faint light from the small windows indicated that she was home. (y/n)'s heart began to race. She couldn't even remember what she had talked about with the woman. What would they do if they couldn't get her to change them back? She had no time to continue that thought as Geralt had already knocked on the wooden door of the hut.  
An old woman with white hair appeared in the door frame.  
She let out an amused laugh. “Geralt of Rivia, you found your way to me. And you brought your little girlfriend.” Her bony finger pointed at (y/n). She didn't seem to have any difficulty telling them apart. “I'm guessing you're here to reverse the spell.”

(y/n) took a step forward. “I don't remember much about last night, but I am really sorry if I offended you somehow, I should have known better than to argue with you.”  
Now the woman burst into full-blown laughter. “You didn't argue with me, this isn't why I put the spell on you.” (y/n) shot her a confused look. “Then why did you do it?” “Don't you want to come inside first? I can make you some tea. You'll have to drink it if you want the spell to wear off.”

They sat around a small wooden table filled with glass bottles, small animal bones, herbs and other unidentifiable items. The woman sat on one of the chairs after putting a kettle on the fire. “Well you came into that inn last night and you started drinking pretty heavily. You happened to sit next to me and before I knew what was happening you were rambling to me about some secret order in Lyria and a bard named Jaskier. You seemed pretty upset and you kept telling me how much you liked him, it was almost a bit embarrassing to be honest. But don't feel bad sweetheart, I've seen my fair share of love sick young travelers in my life. Then I saw that this Jaskier was also at the inn and Geralt of Rivia of all people was traveling with you. It was nothing personal, I just decided to have a little fun with you.”

Geralt's posture relaxed. “I knew you looked familiar. Nice to see you again Safa.”  
A wide smile spread on the woman's wrinkly face. “It has been too long Geralt.”

Safa handed them the cups and sat down again. “I knew Geralt when I was younger. He helped me with a some creatures in the forest. We had some good times together.” She turned to look at (y/n). “You talked about the Order of the Owl. Let me warn you, although the Order doesn't exist anymore, there are still people out there trying to find their legacy and destroy anyone who knows about it. I saw your necklace, I'm guessing your family were hunted down like the rest of the Order. Stay away from Lyria and stay away from the Order it brings nothing but pain suffering.”

(y/n) hand shot up to grab the pendant only to realize it wasn't around her neck but around Geralt's. “I just want to know who my parents were and what they were doing.”  
Safa shook her head. “I understand your desire to know where you come from but this is not worth it, you could lose your life. I was there when they hunted them down. They killed entire families in their sleep, the babies too. No one should be left to know about the Order's legacy. Do yourself a favor and forget about them, child.”  
“Thank you for your warning, but I don't think I can do that.”

Safa let out a sight and stood up. “I thought you'd say that.” She opened some drawers and took out a few small sacks. They were filled with strong smelling herbs. “Take these, at least know how to protect yourself. This one is a sleeping potion, this one is a truth serum and this one paralyses who ever touches it. Don't ever touch them with your bare hands or you'll be affected to.”  
(y/n) took the bags. “Thank you. I'll be careful.”

“If you want to, you can sleep here tonight, you can put your sleeping bags on the floor, I'll leave the fire burning, it's getting colder at night.” Safa started to make place for her three guests. “When you wake up tomorrow you'll be in your own bodies.”

(y/n) went to sleep that night with a tight knot in her stomach. She wasn't so sure about her mission anymore. Safa was the second person to tell her about the dangers that waited for her in Lyria. But she didn't feel like she had a choice. There was no coming back from this. She had decided the day she went away with Geralt and Jaskier.

She snuggled into her sleeping bag. The wooden smell of the hut, that of the fire and Jaskier's smell surrounded her, and she drifted off to sleep.


	7. Siedem

It felt like a dream when (y/n) stood in front of the city gates of Lyria. She had waited for so long and now that she finally had reached her destination, she couldn’t believe it. Geralt and Jaskier stood a few feet behind her. “This is it…” She said to no one in particular.

The streets were crowded. It seemed they were just in time for market day. (y/n) turned to look at the men behind her. “I have to go get some new cloths; I’ll be back in a bit.” “You shouldn’t go alone; I’ll keep you company.” Jaskier said hastily. (y/n) gave him a small smile. “It’s alright, stay with Geralt, I won’t take long. Don’t worry, you know I can defend myself.” “Yeah but –” “Let her go, let’s get something to eat in the meantime.” Geralt interrupted Jaskier and dragged him off by his sleeve.

The whole day (y/n) wandered through the streets of Lyria. She tried to imagine how her parents had lived here. She was thankful for Geralt giving her a bit of alone time. It was an odd feeling to be in this city. (y/n) knew this was where she came from, but nothing seemed familiar, not a single face or building. The longer she walked around, the more she knew, this wasn’t her home. But she wasn’t here to find a home. She spent the rest of the day with preparations. She’d gotten new clothes for a low price. It was always surprising how nice some salesmen could be if you just flirted with them for a while. A few weeks ago (y/n) would have never thought about doing something like this but she knew she had to adapt to get what she wanted. 

Nightfall came when (y/n) met up with Geralt and Jaskier again. They sat in an inn. 

“Where have you been? I was worried.” Jaskier asked trying not to sound to bothered but failing miserably. “The man gave us a single room with two beds, we can share a bed, or I can sleep with Geralt in a bed if you want to be alone.” Jaskier continued but quickly interrupted himself when he saw Geralt’s face. “Ok, we’ll have to share then.”

(y/n) laid her hand on Jaskier’s arm. “Don’t worry, I have a place to stay.” “What? Where? Why aren’t you staying with us?” (y/n) couldn’t look him in the eye. “Jaskier…I’m staying for a while; I rented a room. You must leave with Geralt. I already talked to him about this, it’s better like this. Besides…I think it’ll be better to get some space before you leave for good.”

Jaskier turned so fast towards Geralt, he almost cricked his neck. “You knew about this?” He turned back to look at (y/n). “What do you mean space?”

(y/n) shot Geralt a look. 

“Oh look, I need to get another jug of ale.” Geralt got up. Jaskier’s eyes wandered to Geralt’s still full jug for a second. (y/n) took Jaskier’s hand in hers, capturing his attention again. “We talked about this. I need to find answers and you need to be with Geralt. I just think it’s better to just rip off the band aid. We won’t be seeing each other again after tonight and I ask you not to look for me while you’re still in Lyria. I’m sorry it has to be like this, but I don’t think I can take it to see you leave.”

Jaskier retracted his hand and stood up. “You can’t do this.” Pain and panic reflected in his eyes. (y/n) stood up as well, taking a few steps until she stood in front of him. “We knew it would be like this. You have no idea how much you mean to me, but I have to do this.” She laid her hand on his cheek, stroking it gently with her thumb. She tried to memorize every inch of his face. The look in his eyes was killing her. “Maybe we’ll see each other again someday.”

Jaskier shook his head ever so slightly. “No, no…” (y/n) stood on the tip of her toes to reach him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “I love you Jaskier.” She whispered. He didn’t move, not when she turned her back on him to walk to the bar to say some last words of thanks and goodbye to Geralt, not even when she left the inn and her image burned itself into Jaskier’s mind for the rest of his life.

(y/n) spent the next few days occupied with finding the man Honi’s father had told her about. She managed to keep herself busy as to not think about Jaskier. 

After a few days she had found a job at an inn. Now that she wasn’t traveling with Geralt and Jaskier anymore she somehow needed to make some money. 

She was working late at one of the inns in Lyria when a costumer approached her. He wore a dark hood, and she couldn’t quit make out his face in the dim light from the candles.   
“I heard you asked around for Gin?” (y/n) furrowed her brows. “Do I know you?” The stranger shook his head and let out a laugh. “A pretty young thing like you shouldn’t go around asking dangerous questions. The wrong people might hear you.” (y/n) laid her hand on the small knife under the counter. 

“Who are you?” Her shoulders were tense, and her heart started to beat faster. “It doesn’t matter who I am. Take this.” He slid her a piece of parchment over the counter. “This is where you’ll find him. Just be careful who you trust around here, the last time someone asked question they went on a killing spree.” “Who are ‘they’?” But just as quick as he had appeared, the man was gone.

(y/n) looked down at the parchment. It only said ‘Lyria prison, Gin’. Soon enough her shift ended, she said her goodbyes to the other bar tender and left.   
When she reached the stone walls of the prison, she stopped for a second. (y/n) knew it was a bad idea to come here alone, especially at night. But she had waited for too long. She approached one of the guards. “Excuse me, is there a man named Gin here?”

The guard didn’t even look at her. “I don’t know anyone by that name.”

(y/n) sighed and took out her money bag. “Maybe this’ll change your mind?” She offered him two silver coins. “Missy what about ‘I don’t know anyone named Gin’ don’t you understand?” He shot her a dirty look. (y/n) didn’t give up this easily. She would be damned if she had left her whole life behind and left the love of her life just to be stopped by a corrupt guard. She thought for a moment. Was Jaskier the love of her life? Was this a big mistake? What if she really didn’t ever see him again? No. This was the path she’d chosen, and she had to stand by it. 

(y/n) took another three silver coins out of her bag. “How about now, does this help with your memory?” The guard looked her up and down. “Make it seven and maybe I’ll remember.” (y/n) squinted her eyes but took out another two coins. The guard took the coins from her. “Yeah I seem to remember now. Gin you said, right? Follow me.”

He took her through what felt like a hundred dark halls. The only light came from the torch he held out in front of him. After a while they reached a cell at the end of one of the stone corridors. (y/n) only had a second to take a look at the pile of rags in a corner of the cell. She saw two pale and skinny arms peak out from the rags. Then she saw the man’s face. It was eerily white and emaciated. The guard turned around and left her in the dark.

(y/n) stepped closer to the cell and grabbed the iron bars in front of her. “Are you Gin?” “Who’s asking?” The man’s voice was faint and hoarse like he hadn’t talked to anyone in a while.   
“My name is (y/n) Lirr I come from Nazair. I’m searching for my family; I know they lived in Lyria and I know they were part of the Order of the Owl. I was told you could give me some answers.” Gin let out a loud screech and (y/n) flinched. She couldn’t see him, but she heard how he got up and made his way to the bars. “Don’t ever say that name out loud ever again if you don’t want to get killed! There is nothing I can tell you!”

(y/n) grew impatient. “You’re not the first one warning me, I know what I’m getting myself into, I need to know what happened to my family!” “How do you even know about the Order?”   
(y/n) took the necklace off and handed it to Gin. He was silent while he felt the pendant with his spider leg like fingers. Finally, a soft “Oh…” escaped him. “You’re Wedim and Hedeva’s daughter.” (y/n) didn’t answer immediately. “How…How do you know that?”

Gin gave her the necklace back. “There is a number on the back of the pendant. Each member had one. This was Wedim’s.” “You knew him?” “I know everyone’s number. All two hundred and twelve.” “I thought the Order didn’t exist anymore for a long time?” “When the Order was at its highest point there were over five thousand members. That must have been a good hundred years ago. Most of them got slaughtered but a few survived, among them my father. The revived the Order but they lived in the shadows, always fearing death. Twenty years ago, someone sold them out and they were hunted like animals, even the kids. It is a tradition to pass the legacy of the Order on to your offspring, I guess they didn’t want to take any chances. I imagine Wedim and Hedeva knew they were being hunted and they saved you by giving you away. I’m the last one alive from the Order.” He made a small pause. “I haven’t seen the sun in almost twenty years.”

(y/n) could hear Gin retreating to the back of his cell. “Why did they let you live?” (y/n) asked but Gin just made a noise that sounded like a sob. “I’m so sorry.” He croaked. “Sorry for what?” “I’m sorry…I’m sorry…so sorry…” 

Her shoulders tensed. “Gin, what are you sorry for?” A giggle came from the dark of the cell. “They’ll be here soon…” “What are you talking about?” “They left me alive to draw out anyone who might be left knowing about the Order.”

Panic started to flood (y/n)’s system. She didn’t even have the chance to grab the knife from the holster on her thigh under her dress when two strong arms grabbed her from behind. As she got dragged away, she heard Gin’s giggles echo from the walls of his prison. (y/n) felt a sting in her shoulder. She felt herself go numb and before she knew what was happening to her she drifted into unconsciousness.


	8. Osiem

(y/n) woke up with a splitting headache. Daylight hit her eyes and her headache instantly intensified. She looked around. She was laying on the floor of an enormous hall. The walls were covered in books and seemed to stretch into the sky. They only stopped when they connected with the gigantic glass roof on top. Besides the roof there were no windows, only bookshelf after bookshelf. 

The wooden floor felt warm under her touch, the sun must have shone on it the whole day. (y/n) got up. She walked up to one of the shelves. On the side was a carved symbol. After close inspection (y/n) could make out a hand clenched around a ring. Her own hand shot to her neck to feel the pendant, but it was gone.

In that moment she heard footsteps approach her. She wanted to reach for the dagger on her thigh, but it wasn’t there either. The man walking towards her had dark hair, a beard and cold dead eyes. “We took it from you.” He said.

(y/n) took a few steps back. “Who the bloody hell are you people? What did you do to me?” The man didn’t stop walking. “I could ask you the same question. Who are you? Why do you know of the Order?”   
Without thinking twice (y/n) turned around and started to run. Her feet carried her through the corridors between the bookshelves. She didn’t know how to get out of this building. After turning a sharp corner, she felt a sharp pain in her leg. Despite all her willpower, her leg wouldn’t carry her, and she fell to the floor. A knife had hit her. Dark, red blood seeped through the fabric of her dress. (y/n) crawled further, like a scared, wounded animal, she thought. She cursed the man who had thrown the knife. He had hit her bad leg; it had just healed up.

The muscles of her arms were burning, sweat running down her forehead as she crawled forward. She didn’t get far. A hand clenched around her ankle and yanked her back. It was a different man than before. He dragged her back in the middle of the hall.

The first man spoke up. “There is nowhere to run. We’re underground, the only way out is through a hidden staircase, you won’t find it.” He came nearer. “I wanted to do this the nice way, but you don’t give me a choice. I think you already know you will die here today. You should’ve stayed away but I can’t risk anyone finding out about the Order.”  
(y/n) gritted her teeth. “Why the hell did you bring me here if you’re going to kill me anyway?”

The man shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe to show you what you were looking for before you died, don’t worry we would have killed you anyway.” He looked around for a second, eyes gliding over the thousands of books. “This is all that is left, all the knowledge the Order left behind. They knew how dangerous it was but still they kept sticking their noses into other people’s business. I don’t know what you want here or why you came but this will be your end.”

(y/n)’s mind was racing with thoughts. Suddenly she remembered. She had hidden Safa’s herbs in her dress. There was no way they had found them. With shaking finger, she searched the folds of her dress without the men noticing. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, she found the small pocket she’d sawn into the outer layer. 

When one of the men came to her with his knife raised, she opened the little sack with one swift motion and threw it on him. His eyes went back into his head and he collapsed.   
Quickly (y/n) grabbed the knife he had lost. The first man had drawn his weapon too. (y/n) felt as if her leg was on fire when she got up to take a defensive position. She hold the knife in front of her, waiting for her opponent to make a move. Every little thing Geralt had taught her about combat went through her head at once. But this was different.

This wasn’t her sparing with Geralt somewhere in the woods, sun shining down on them, smell of pine needles in the air with Jaskier propped up against a tree nearby composing some melody. This was the end, surrounded by cold walls, far away from her love. No one would miss her if she was gone.

(y/n) managed to block the first blow from her opponent but the second sliced her shoulder. Her grunts of pain echoed from the walls. The third time he swung his dagger at her she managed to duck and slice his abdomen. She saw the horror in his eyes. He wanted to say something but nothing, but blood left his mouth. He stumbled back and fell on his knees. He turned around and this time he was the one crawling for his life. (y/n) features hardened. She limped towards the man. She felt the sweat run down her back. Her leg was killing her. She didn’t even hear the man begging for his life when she buried her knife between his shoulder blades, and he collapsed at her feet.

Silence filled the hall except for (y/n)’s heavy breathing and occasional grunts. She let out a scream and sank to her knees. She didn’t know how to get out of this hall, and she didn’t know where the hell she was. After a few minutes she took a deep breath, dried her tears and straightened her back. 

It took her almost 10 minutes to get to one of the desks between the bookshelves. She took the bag lying on the desk. Somehow, she knew what she had to do. She grabbed as many books as she could carry. With that new weight pulling her down it took her way longer than she’d expected to get to the wall of the hall. She walked along the wall until she found a hidden door. It was already dark outside. It took her another eternity to climb the stairs. 

When she had finally reached the surface, she was greeted by the black sky, millions of stars and wasteland, nothing but wasteland. (y/n) suppressed another scream. She felt the cold night air on her wet skin.   
She turned around to look at the building. From here the only thing she could see was the glass dome sitting between dunes. From here it didn’t look like a whole library would be hidden underground. In a fit of rage, she took a rock and threw it into the dome. The glass shattered and she heard it hit the floor deep down. She knew what she had to do. With shaking fingers, she searched her pockets and took out a match. She tore a piece of fabric from her dress, wrapped it around another rock and lit it on fire. She threw the rock through the shattered dome.

While (y/n) walked through the wasteland the library was nothing more than a burning hole in the ground in the distance. She couldn’t let anyone else die for this. Fuck the Order and fuck the library. No knowledge on earth was worth dying over. She had lost her family over it and she wasn’t willing to let anyone else lose someone.   
The few books she had saved weighted heavy on her back.


End file.
